In the vein of American Idiot or The Black Parade crossed with the Dracula rock opera with puppets from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Queen’s A Kind Of Magic (The soundtrack for Highlander if you didn’t already know) comes a concept album about life, love, and when to listen and when to ignore that voice inside your head. Among other things. The Only Humans’ Tim Howd tells the story of It’s a Beautiful Night, I Think I’ll Disappear Forever waaaaaaay better than us over on the band’s Bandcamp page here but that’s what you’re getting in a nutshell when you tune in.
And trust us when we say that you’ll want to tune in for this one! Sitting down and pressing play on It’s a Beautiful Night, I Think I’ll Disappear Forever is like cueing the curtain to open at a Broadway play and the moment that “My Body Is Full Of Invaders #2” begins you can practically picture that scenario playing out in your head. From there, “Death Stood In My Living Room” is a bombastic aural assault… but in a nice way! There’s a flurry of strings (Violins! Mandolins! Cellos!) and thunderous drumming from Lillian Edith Martin (Of the fabulous Fatigue if you were not already aware) and acoustic guitars with Howd’s voice at the forefront as the narrator on a track that’s a timeless sort of song that you can swear you’ve heard before (Like an on-the-tip-of-your-tongue kind of way) but just can’t quite place it. A sonic comfort blanket if you will. Like the rest of It’s a Beautiful Night…
“Funeral Song” is a magical musical and offers a plethora of ideas if you were ever pondering what’s a good alternate playlist for your funeral over the norm (Personally, we’re requesting something in the Slayer vein ourselves) with lead single “Penelope, Just Before The Dawn” following which was already one helluva cool track with lush instrumentation and an infectious chorus but within It’s a Beautiful Night, I Think I’ll Disappear Forever the song transcends and sounds practically epic.
“Sarah, In A Dream I Had” is another that just shows Dowd’s way with words almost like a beat poet here as the swells from Renée Gauthier and Neil Morrissey violins (With violin accompaniment throughout the album from Carson McHaney, Anna Stromer, and Lilly Innella plus Nathaniel Taylor on cello) ever so delicately accent the mood. Further in, “Esplanade” is festive with Kyle Rossi’s electric guitars lightly strumming as a lead up for a vibrant violin showcase surrounded by triumphant verses and a triumphant chorus that is seemingly building towards the It’s a Beautiful Night… final act if you will. “King Arthur Complex” is another stylistic divergence that’s got that down home twang a la John Denver’s brand of Americana with the Martin and Gauthier rhythm section filling in the gaps and “Midnight At The Death Metal Throwdown” has that aforementioned Queen vibe with a Elio DeLuca-led piano intro and an added “Bohemian Rhapsody” nod with the way that Ryan Burke wails away on the guitar.
“Real Vampires” is another that really ebbs and flows as “My Body Is Full Of Invaders #1” answers the opening track with Howd waxing poetic (“Keep me away from train stations in September/Don’t let me get on highways in the Spring!”) on a downtrodden yet upbeat ditty that, like the rest of this record, will stay with you long after the notes fade out. But before that, there’s one more to go as “Last Boat To Avalon” features Jacalynn Manning’s backing vocals adding to Howd’s leads amidst a playful string section and vivacious final bow before the curtain closes.
It’s a Beautiful Night, I Think I’ll Disappear Forever releases on October 18th and you can secure your very own copy now by heading here. For more from The Only Humans, including upcoming live appearances like the record release one happening on November 22nd at The Burren with The Three At Home (Tickets for that one available here, btw), follow the band across the interwebs by clicking here, here, or here.